When I had finished making the inlay material and tested it in sample grooves, I realized that I needed a very small chisel to square off the ends where multiple strips come together. I don”t have a 3/32″ chisel, so I made one.
I started with an old screwdriver and my grinding wheel.
Screwdriver meets grinding wheel to make a chisel
After about 5 minutes, taking it slowly, I ended up with a concave curve very similar to what I get grinding any of my chisels. The picture below is a side view to show the concave curve left by the grinder. The right hand side is what was square to the grinding wheel when sparks were flying.
Grinding wheel leaves a concave curve to make a chisel
From there it was just a few strokes on the water stones to smooth the tip. Given the concave shape, the “chisel” rested on the stone at the very toe and heel so there”s very little metal to take to quickly hone.
Honing the tip of a concave curve chisel is quick
Finally I took it on a test run. It got into the corners really nicely. (Yes, I realize I”m over my line on this test piece. Ha!)
Testing out a very small chisel to square a 3/32″ groove.
On to the real thing.